Baseball Headline

Sunday May 2, 2004Baseball Explodes in 22-8 Win to Earn Sweep Over Auburn

The bats of the University of Florida baseball team (34-12, 14-7 SEC) exploded in a 22-8 route of visiting Auburn University (29-17, 9-12 SEC) in the series finale of a three game set Sunday afternoon. With the sweep of the Tigers, the Gators earned their eighth straight league win and sixth straight win overall.

Auburn had come into the series ranked ahead of the Gators but Florida took all three games totaling 40 runs in the series. It was the second straight league sweep at home for Florida who improved to 26-6 at home in 2004.

Florida ran away with the game in the third and fourth innings when they scored 14 runs on 12 hits taking an 18-6 lead. The Gators would finish the game with 23 hits including seven for extra bases in the rout.

At the plate four Gators had four hits while three drove in four runs. C.J. Smith went 4-for-5 with five runs scored while Ben Harrison and Jeff Corsaletti each went 4-for-5 with four RBI. Corsaletti also scored four times and Justin Tordi was the final UF player with four runs driven home.

Florida broke the game wide open in the third after Auburn took a 5-4 lead after two and a half innings. The Gators would score eight runs off Tiger starter Josh Bell who took the loss. Bell would allow Smith, Harrison and Corsaletti to reach base in the third before he was removed with the score tied at five. Tordi then drove two home with a shot up the middle, which gave Florida then 7-5 lead that they would not relinquish.

Brian Jeroloman would add an RBI single scoring Harrison while two more crossed the plate on a passed ball and an infield error. The final run came home on a triple by Smith who finished just a home run shy of a cycle.

The Gators continued the onslaught, scoring six more runs in the fourth inning extending the lead to 18-6. For the second straight inning, Florida would send 11 batters to the plate. Corsaletti led of the inning with a home run to left field and later hit a two RBI double in the same inning. Tordi also delivered a RBI double while Harrison drew a bases loaded walk.

For the third time in the series, Auburn scored first and jumped to an early lead. After Auburn put runners on second and third with two outs, Clete Thomas sharply hit a grounder back at the pitcher who knocked it down, but was unable to throw the runner out at first. Auburn pitcher Josh Bell then helped his cause with a two RBI double making the score 3-0 before Florida came to bat.

Florida erased the three-run deficit in the bottom of the first inning by scoring four runs. It was the fourth time in the series Florida would score in the bottom half of an inning after Auburn scored in the top half. The Gators would also match runs from Auburn again in the third and fourth innings.

In the bottom of the first, Adam Davis walked with one out, stole his 17th base of the season and scored on a Smith double off the left field wall. Harrison followed with a two-run home run to left center, his 12th home run of the season and second of the series. The Gators would score one more run in the inning when Stephen Barton singled home Corsaletti to give the Gators the lead at 4-3.

The lead would not last long as Auburn scored twice in the top of third. Auburn loaded the bases with no outs in the inning chasing Gator starter Bryan Ball who was replaced by Adam Sanabria. Auburn would score two runs on a sacrifice fly from Thomas and a RBI groundout off the bat of Bell to take a 5-4 lead. It was the last lead Auburn would have as the Gators exploded for the eight runs in the bottom of the inning.

For the day, Ball was charged with five earned runs on 51 pitches. Sanabria would last 2 and 2/3 innings before giving way to Mike Pete and Steven Porter. Pete and Porter would combine to throw 4 and 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Pete picked up the win for his victory of the season as he gave up two with one walk and two strikeouts over 2 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Bell fell to 2-2 for Auburn as he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits over two innings of work. The Tigers would use seven pitchers with none lasting more than two innings.

At the plate for Auburn Chuck Jeroloman had three hits while Bell had three RBI for the Tigers 14 hit attack.

NOTES:

Coming into the final game of the series, the Gators had just three extra base hits against Auburn. The Gators would match this total in the first inning, and finish the game with seven extra base hits.

It was the most runs Florida has scored in a league contest since scoring 24 against Ole Miss on March 15, 2003.

The five run scored were a career high for C.J. Smith while the four hits tied a season and career high.

Jeff Corsaletti set career highs for runs scored (4) and tied his career high with his four hits. His three extra base hits and nine total bases tied the most in a game by a Florida player this season. In the series Corsaletti batted .615 (8-of-13) with seven run scored and seven RBI.

Justin Tordi’s four RBI tied his season and career high he set against Michigan earlier this season on Feb. 25.

For the 23rd time this season the Gators scored five or more runs in an inning.

The 23 hits for the Gators and the 22 runs scored set new season highs for the Gators.

The 34 wins ties the regular season win total from 2003 while the 14 league win surpasses the SEC total of 13 a year ago.

At the plate Florida went 12-of-23 with runners in scoring position in the game after going 8-of-16 in the first two games of the series.

In the series Florida batted .383 (41-of-107) and scored 40 runs. It was the most total runs in an SEC series since scoring 48 in three games against Ole Miss in 2002.